Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by the married Canadian duo of Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away explores a subject area that's bound to bring up some painful memories for some. It's a September 11th musical, but not in the way you might expect. It's not about the towers, the Pentagon, or even really the loss of life. it is a story of a community bonding together to embrace passengers on the 38 planes that were diverted to Canada - specifically Newfoundland - when the U.S. Government closed American air space for the first time in U.S. history. It's one of those untold stories that is practically perfect for an original musical.
I had never even heard of the 1951 Lerner and Loewe musical PAINT YOUR WAGON when the Ordway announced it as part of their season. I guess that's not too surprising; it ran for less than a year on Broadway and has never been revived. The story was significantly rewritten for the 1969 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood, which also included a few new songs. Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre scrapped both the original and revised book (they're a little bit racist, and sexist) to write a new story set in the Gold Rush era of California, making it more reflective of the many diverse cultures that came together to build the great American West. This production has moved to the Ordway for two weeks, with a few local additions to the cast. This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die.
The producers of COME FROM AWAY announced today that they will honor the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador and the 'come from aways' whose lives inspired the new musical COME FROM AWAY with two special benefit concert performances at Gander's hockey arena, The Steele Community Centre (155 Airport Boulevard, Gander, NL), on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 3pm (NDT) and 8pm (NDT). The benefit concerts, presented in association with the Town of Gander, NL, will star the cast of the Broadway and Toronto productions of COME FROM AWAY. Tickets are now on sale for the two benefit concert performances of COME FROM AWAY in Gander, NL and are $20. For reservations and more information please visit www.gandercanada.tix.com, or contact the Steele Community Centre box office at 709-651-5931 or in person between the hours of 10am (NDT) and 5:30pm (NDT), Monday throughFriday.
Junkyard Dog Productions announced today that the new musical Come From Away will begin performances on Broadway in February 2017 at a Shubert Theater to be announced, following productions at Washington DC's Ford's Theatre (Friday, September 2 - Sunday, October 9, 2016), and Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre (Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - Sunday, January 8, 2017).
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts opens its 2016-17 season with an exciting new 'revisal' of Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon, Aug. 9-21. Featuring an all new book by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Jon Marans, the show opened at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre in June 2016. Twin Cities audiences will be among the first in the world to experience this updated sweeping saga of the mythic West and the pursuit of the American Dream. Tickets for Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon start at $37 and can be purchased online at www.ordway.org, by phone at 651-224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.
Ford's Theatre Society today announced the Ford's Theatre cast for the new musical Come From Away, directed by Christopher Ashley. The production features: Geno Carr (Old Globe's Allegiance), Jenn Colella (Broadway's If/Then); Joel Hatch (Broadway's Annie); Rodney Hicks (Broadway's The Scottsboro Boys); Kendra Kassebaum (Broadway's Wicked); Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan (Round House's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof); Chad Kimball (Broadway's Memphis); Lee MacDougall (Wizard of Oz National Tour); Caesar Samayoa (Broadway's Sister Act); Q. Smith (Broadway's Mary Poppins); Sharon Wheatley (Broadway's Avenue Q); and Astrid Van Wieren (Mama Mia National Tour).
I'll admit unfamiliarity with Lerner and Loewe's "Paint Your Wagon" before recently. Never saw the original, never saw the movie, and had only a passing familiarity with the bigger songs in it. So to educate myself before seeing this production I watched the movie, which was also rewritten from the original musical version but what I had available to me. Wow, what a train wreck that is! Horrific story, songs that move nothing along and a movie that seems to be there solely for Lee Marvin to mug to the camera. So I was trepidatious to say the least about this rewritten version at the 5th Avenue Theatre and after seeing it I'm of two minds.
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents an exciting new 'revisal' of the sweeping saga Lerner & Loewe's PAINT YOUR WAGON. Featuring an all-new book by Pulitzer Prize nominee John Marans, this show has taken an incredible journey over the last five years from developmental workshops to The 5th Avenue stage this season. And BroadwayWorld is happy to report that the company has just announced the full cast and creative team.
A sweeping saga of the mythic American West rolls into The 5th Avenue Theatre beginning today, June 2, and continuing through 25, 2016, in a brand new 'revisal': Lerner and Loewe's PAINT YOUR WAGON.
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents an exciting new 'revisal' of the sweeping saga Lerner & Loewe's PAINT YOUR WAGON. Featuring an all-new book by Pulitzer Prize nominee John Marans, this show has taken an incredible journey over the last five years from developmental workshops to The 5th Avenue stage this season. And BroadwayWorld is happy to report that the company has just announced the full cast and creative team.
The 5th Avenue Theatre welcomes audiences to Spotlight Night, an exciting and exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpse at the next major musical in the 2015/16 season, Lerner & Loewe's Paint Your Wagon. This Spotlight Night is an evening of story and song exploring the world of this epic Gold Rush musical and its incredible journey to The 5th Avenue stage this season. Hosted by Executive Producer and Artistic Director David Armstrong, this free event will feature fascinating guests, insightful stories and performances from some of the show's brilliantly talented cast including Robert Cuccioli, Kendra Kassebaum and Justin Gregory Lopez.
A sweeping saga of the mythic American West rolls into The 5th Avenue Theatre June 2-25, 2016, in a brand new 'revisal': Lerner and Loewe's PAINT YOUR WAGON.
Only the incredible Stephen Sondheim could make a musical about Presidential assassins and make it work. It's a dark subject that you think wouldn't be sung about. But Sondheim shows off his storytelling prowess by creating a sort of club or group therapy aspect to the group of killers as they attempt to tie all their works together with the act of their most famous member. And while the cast of the current joint production from the 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT certainly has the talent to pull off this demanding show, they don't always feel cohesive or in the same club but hopefully as they settle in that will come.
The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production will run February 27-May 8, 2016.
The 5th Avenue Theatre and ACT- A Contemporary Theatre are kicking off the presidential election with a bang, presenting the landmark musical ASSASSINS with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Wiedman. The production begins today, February 27 and will run through May 8, 2016.
Broadway-bound new musical, Come From Away, presented by Seattle Repertory Theatre, wins four Gypsys, tying with another new musical, Lizard Boy, also produced by Seattle Repertory Theatreand also with four Gypsys, a company that has been known for years as a powerhouse dramatic straight-play playhouse!
Seattle Theater Writers critics' circle is pleased to present the nomination slate of the fifth annual Gypsy Rose Lee Awards, theater awards devoted to recognizing excellence across the economic spectrum of professional Seattle theaters in the prior calendar year.
Dear Readers, I hope you've all fared well over the holidays and had a good time with your families. It's been a tumultuous year with lots of great theater for us to take in. And so I'm pleased to share with you some of the best things I saw this past year and the ones that I felt worthy of getting my Critic's Choice Awards for 2015. So settle in and allow me to expound on all the amazing I saw over the year. The envelope please.
